BACKGROUND The relation between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders(TMDs)is under debate;the management of TMD during orthodontic treatment has always been a challenge.If TMD symptoms occur during or...BACKGROUND The relation between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders(TMDs)is under debate;the management of TMD during orthodontic treatment has always been a challenge.If TMD symptoms occur during orthodontic treatment,an immediate pause of orthodontic adjustments is recommended;the treatment can resume when the symptoms are managed and stabilized.CASE SUMMARY This case report presents a patient(26-year-old,female)with angle class I,skeletal class II and TMDs.The treatment was a hybrid of clear aligners,fixed appliances and temporary anchorage devices(TADs).After 3 mo resting and treatment on her TMD,the patient’s TMD symptom alleviated,but her anterior occlusion displayed deep overbite.Therefore,the fixed appliances with TAD were used to correct the anterior deep-bite and level maxillary and mandibular deep curves.After the levelling,the patient showed dual bite with centric relation and maximum intercuspation discrepancy on her occlusion.After careful examination of temporomandibular joints(TMJ)position,the stable bite splint and Invisible Mandibular Advancement appliance were used to reconstruct her occlusion.Eventually,the improved facial appearance and relatively stable occlusion were achieved.The 1-year follow-up records showed there was no obvious change in TMJ morphology,and her occlusion was stable.CONCLUSION TMD screening and monitoring is of great clinical importance in the TMD susceptible patients.Hybrid treatment with clear aligners and fixed appliances and TADs is an effective treatment modality for the complex cases.展开更多
Since April 2004, the Asahi University Medical and Dental Center (hereinafter referred to as our center) has been providing oral appliances (hereinafter referred to as OA) to treat patients diagnosed with obstructive ...Since April 2004, the Asahi University Medical and Dental Center (hereinafter referred to as our center) has been providing oral appliances (hereinafter referred to as OA) to treat patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The effects of using the OA and progress of 71 patients who received treatment at our center by wearing OA from March 2005 to the end of March 2016 were examined through questionnaires sent by physical mail. In 21 of 24 patients who underwent polysomnography after wearing OA, the apnea-hypopnea index (hereinafter referred to as AHI) significantly decreased after wearing OA (9.44 ± 10.37) compared to that before wearing OA (24.02 ± 13.57) (p = 8.7 × 10<sup>-8</sup>). The results showed that for patients who continuously use OA, it is necessary to have sound sleep/sleep soundly;further, the patients experienced a decrease in snoring when wearing OA, with only a few side effects on the temporomandibular joints and teeth. In addition, the closer the distance from the plane of the lower margin of the mandible to the hyoid bone after wearing OA, the more likely it was for the AHI to decrease, which suggests that wearing OA contributes to the prediction of therapeutic effects.展开更多
Background Many cases of ClassⅡdeformities have been reported to be treated with prefabricated appliances.The aim of this study was to distinguish the clinical effect of traditional custom-made appliances and prefabr...Background Many cases of ClassⅡdeformities have been reported to be treated with prefabricated appliances.The aim of this study was to distinguish the clinical effect of traditional custom-made appliances and prefabricated appliances in the treatment of ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion.Therefore,soft and hard tissue changes following treatment of ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion using the twin-block(TB)appliance was compared to that using the Myofunctional Research Company(MRC)appliance(K1+K2)combined with oral myofunctional treatment(OMT)(MRC+OMT).Methods The study included 22 children(6 boys and 16 girls aged 9–11 years)with ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion along with mandibular retrognathism with a 5–12 mm overjet,basic normal maxillary status,and stage 2 or 3 cervical vertebral maturation(CVM).Participants were randomly assigned into two groups,the TB group and the MRC+OMT group for 12 months.Standardized lateral cephalograms were used to assess skeletal,dental,and soft tissue changes from pre-to post-treatment.Independent t-tests were used to compare the initial and final cephalometric status and tissue changes between the groups.Results The TB and MRC+OMT groups resulted in different degrees of lateral changes;however,improvements of skeletal and soft tissue indices were significantly greater in the TB group than in the MRC+OMT group.Conclusion TB was more effective than MRC+OMT in treating children aged 9–11 years with ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion.However,further research using custom-made appliances with OMT is recommended,and further investigations are needed to confirm these findings.展开更多
Network Functions Virtualization(NFV) is an attempt to help operators more effectively manage their networks by implementing traditional network functions embedded in specialized hardware platforms in term of virtuali...Network Functions Virtualization(NFV) is an attempt to help operators more effectively manage their networks by implementing traditional network functions embedded in specialized hardware platforms in term of virtualized software instances. But, existing novel network appliances designed for NFV infrastructure are always architected on a general-purpose x86 server, which makes the performance of network functions limited by the hosted single server. To address this challenge, we propose ApplianceB ricks, a novel NFV-enable network appliance architecture that is used to explore the way of consolidating multiple physical network functions into a clustered network appliance, which is able to improve the processing capability of NFV-enabled network appliances.展开更多
The effects of Tip-Edge plus appliance in the treatment of Angle Ⅱ1 malocclusion and the mechanism were investigated. Fifty-two Angle Ⅱ1 children, aged from 12.3-14.2 years, with mandibu- lar retrusion in permanent ...The effects of Tip-Edge plus appliance in the treatment of Angle Ⅱ1 malocclusion and the mechanism were investigated. Fifty-two Angle Ⅱ1 children, aged from 12.3-14.2 years, with mandibu- lar retrusion in permanent dentition were selected and treated with Tip-Edge plus appliance. Lateral cephalometric films taken before and after treatment were analyzed. The arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated for each variable. Paired t-test was performed to evaluate the significant treatment change. Results showed that the average treatment time was 16 months. Normal overjet and overbite were established with retroclination of upper incisors and proclination of lower incisors. U1-NA was decreased by 15.4° （P〈0.01）. ANB and Y axial angle were decreased significantly （P〈0.05） Soft tissue measurements showed that FCA and UL-E were decreased dramatically （P〈0.05）, and LL-E was increased significantly （P〈0.05）. Remarkable soft tissue change was noted after the treatment and convex facial profile changed to the straight profile. In conclusion, Tip-Edge plus technique can quickly and efficiently correct anterior bite and lateral outlook.展开更多
This manuscript developed an adjustability test system of gas appliances,and proposed determination methods of adjustability domain and technical approach of performance testing of gas appliance,in order to develop ex...This manuscript developed an adjustability test system of gas appliances,and proposed determination methods of adjustability domain and technical approach of performance testing of gas appliance,in order to develop experimental determination,quantify the product performance,design quality and combustion characteristics of gas appliances,and provide test foundation and platform for product design,performance test,quality assessment and technology upgrading for gas appliance industry aiming to multi-gas resources in China.The flexible range of gas appliances to different gases and the interchangeability domain of city gases were determined experimentally,together with the equation of combustion characteristics limit curves of gas appliances.The results showed that the second gas appliance has the biggest capability for the change of gas quality,which permits an 11.2% fluctuation in the Wobbe Index of gas;while the third gas appliance has the least capability for the change of gas quality,which only permits a 1.9% fluctuation in the Wobbe Index of gas.The paper also provides the common adjustability domain of the three gas appliances.展开更多
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify independent prognostic predictors of the efficacy of oral appliance (OA) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Materials and methods: The subjects consi...Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify independent prognostic predictors of the efficacy of oral appliance (OA) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Materials and methods: The subjects consisted of 89 patients (77 males and 12 females) in whom OSAS had been treated with an OA. The mean age of the subjects was 52.4 years (range: 20 to 78 years) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.9 kg/m2 (range: 17.3 to 32.2 kg/m2). Lateral cephalograms were taken and 15 angle, 15 distance and 5 area measurements were calculated by means of a computerized program. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was performed before treatment and several months after titration of OA therapy. OA therapy was considered effective if the apnea-hypopnea index several months after titration was under 15 events/h and was reduced to at least 50% of that before treatment. The examined data such as patient age, sex, BMI, data from cephalometric analyses, Epworth sleepiness scale, and data for pretreatment PSG were analyzed statistically, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to clarify predictive variables for treatment outcome. Results: LFH (OR = 0.350;p = 0.035) and McN-A (OR = 0.276;p = 0.057) were selected as independent predictors from the explanatory variables. The predictive accuracy of the calculated logistic regression model was 74.2%. Conclusion: This results show that OA therapy for OSAS is more effective in patients with large anteroposterior diameter of the maxilla and large lower facial height.展开更多
Introduction: Borderline Class II malocclusion due to deficient mandible can be treated either by orthodontic camouflage, fixed functional appliances or by orthodontics followed by surgical mandibular advancement. Met...Introduction: Borderline Class II malocclusion due to deficient mandible can be treated either by orthodontic camouflage, fixed functional appliances or by orthodontics followed by surgical mandibular advancement. Methodology: A prospective study was designed on young adults with Class II malocclusion on account of a deficient mandible. A total of 45 subjects were divided into three groups of 15 individuals each. The patients were treated either by camouflage, fixed functional appliances or by orthognathic surgery. Pre and post treatment cephalograms were used to assess the skeletal, dental and soft tissue changes. Pre and post treatment profile photographs were assessed on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) by orthodontists, oral surgeons and laypersons. Results: Each group achieved a reduction in facial convexity, but the results obtained from the surgical group were more pronounced than the camouflage and the fixed functional group. Conclusion: The reduction in convexity in the camouflage group was by retracting the upper anteriors, which increases the nasolabial angle. In the fixed functional appliance a combination of skeletal and dentoalveolar changes can be observed. However the most appropriate reduction in profile convexity can be obtained by combined orthodontic and surgical treatment of malocclusion.展开更多
New Zealand (NZ) young rabbits with the administration of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) with and without mandibular anterior repositioning appliances are explored for th...New Zealand (NZ) young rabbits with the administration of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) with and without mandibular anterior repositioning appliances are explored for the growth of the mandibular condylar cartilage (MCC). 32 growing NZ and rabbits were divided into 4 groups: the group with saline injection in TMJ, the group which received growth factor injection in TMJ, the group which received anterior positioning appliance and the group which received growth factors injection as well as mandibular repositioning appliance. Gene expression was studied by real-time RT-PCR and cartilage growth by histomorphometry. Administration of growth factors along with mandibular repositioning appliances has induced 1) 1.70-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value < 0.0005) and 2) 1.47-fold expression of Col-10Agene (p value < 0.0005). In contrast, administration of only mandibular repositioning appliances induced 1) 1.28-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value < 0.0005) and 2) merely 0.62-fold expression of Col-10Agene (p value < 0.0005), while administration of growth factors only induced 1) mere 0.56-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value 10A gene (p value growth factors along with mandibular repositioning appliances causes an increase in genetic expressions which have been corroborated by histomorphometry and validated by statistical analysis, during an accelerated growth of mandibular condylar cartilage. Administration of growth factors in the TMJ could provide a synergistic role along with mandibular repositioning appliances for treatment of mandibular retrognathism as well as disorders on the MCC.展开更多
In a typical discrete manufacturing process,a new type of reconfigurable production line is introduced,which aims to help small-and mid-size enterprises to improve machine utilization and reduce production cost.In ord...In a typical discrete manufacturing process,a new type of reconfigurable production line is introduced,which aims to help small-and mid-size enterprises to improve machine utilization and reduce production cost.In order to effectively handle the production scheduling problem for the manufacturing system,an improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm based on Brownian motion(MOPSO-BM)is proposed.Since the existing MOPSO algorithms are easily stuck in the local optimum,the global search ability of the proposed method is enhanced based on the random motion mechanism of the BM.To further strengthen the global search capacity,a strategy of fitting the inertia weight with the piecewise Gaussian cumulative distribution function(GCDF)is included,which helps to maintain an excellent convergence rate of the algorithm.Based on the commonly used indicators generational distance(GD)and hypervolume(HV),we compare the MOPSO-BM with several other latest algorithms on the benchmark functions,and it shows a better overall performance.Furthermore,for a real reconfigurable production line of smart home appliances,three algorithms,namely non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II(NSGA-II),decomposition-based MOPSO(dMOPSO)and MOPSO-BM,are applied to tackle the scheduling problem.It is demonstrated that MOPSO-BM outperforms the others in terms of convergence rate and quality of solutions.展开更多
基金Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, No. SBK2021021787the Major Project of the Health Commission ofJiangsu Province, No. ZD2022025and the Key Project of the Nanjing Health Commission, No. ZKX20048.
文摘BACKGROUND The relation between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders(TMDs)is under debate;the management of TMD during orthodontic treatment has always been a challenge.If TMD symptoms occur during orthodontic treatment,an immediate pause of orthodontic adjustments is recommended;the treatment can resume when the symptoms are managed and stabilized.CASE SUMMARY This case report presents a patient(26-year-old,female)with angle class I,skeletal class II and TMDs.The treatment was a hybrid of clear aligners,fixed appliances and temporary anchorage devices(TADs).After 3 mo resting and treatment on her TMD,the patient’s TMD symptom alleviated,but her anterior occlusion displayed deep overbite.Therefore,the fixed appliances with TAD were used to correct the anterior deep-bite and level maxillary and mandibular deep curves.After the levelling,the patient showed dual bite with centric relation and maximum intercuspation discrepancy on her occlusion.After careful examination of temporomandibular joints(TMJ)position,the stable bite splint and Invisible Mandibular Advancement appliance were used to reconstruct her occlusion.Eventually,the improved facial appearance and relatively stable occlusion were achieved.The 1-year follow-up records showed there was no obvious change in TMJ morphology,and her occlusion was stable.CONCLUSION TMD screening and monitoring is of great clinical importance in the TMD susceptible patients.Hybrid treatment with clear aligners and fixed appliances and TADs is an effective treatment modality for the complex cases.
文摘Since April 2004, the Asahi University Medical and Dental Center (hereinafter referred to as our center) has been providing oral appliances (hereinafter referred to as OA) to treat patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The effects of using the OA and progress of 71 patients who received treatment at our center by wearing OA from March 2005 to the end of March 2016 were examined through questionnaires sent by physical mail. In 21 of 24 patients who underwent polysomnography after wearing OA, the apnea-hypopnea index (hereinafter referred to as AHI) significantly decreased after wearing OA (9.44 ± 10.37) compared to that before wearing OA (24.02 ± 13.57) (p = 8.7 × 10<sup>-8</sup>). The results showed that for patients who continuously use OA, it is necessary to have sound sleep/sleep soundly;further, the patients experienced a decrease in snoring when wearing OA, with only a few side effects on the temporomandibular joints and teeth. In addition, the closer the distance from the plane of the lower margin of the mandible to the hyoid bone after wearing OA, the more likely it was for the AHI to decrease, which suggests that wearing OA contributes to the prediction of therapeutic effects.
文摘Background Many cases of ClassⅡdeformities have been reported to be treated with prefabricated appliances.The aim of this study was to distinguish the clinical effect of traditional custom-made appliances and prefabricated appliances in the treatment of ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion.Therefore,soft and hard tissue changes following treatment of ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion using the twin-block(TB)appliance was compared to that using the Myofunctional Research Company(MRC)appliance(K1+K2)combined with oral myofunctional treatment(OMT)(MRC+OMT).Methods The study included 22 children(6 boys and 16 girls aged 9–11 years)with ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion along with mandibular retrognathism with a 5–12 mm overjet,basic normal maxillary status,and stage 2 or 3 cervical vertebral maturation(CVM).Participants were randomly assigned into two groups,the TB group and the MRC+OMT group for 12 months.Standardized lateral cephalograms were used to assess skeletal,dental,and soft tissue changes from pre-to post-treatment.Independent t-tests were used to compare the initial and final cephalometric status and tissue changes between the groups.Results The TB and MRC+OMT groups resulted in different degrees of lateral changes;however,improvements of skeletal and soft tissue indices were significantly greater in the TB group than in the MRC+OMT group.Conclusion TB was more effective than MRC+OMT in treating children aged 9–11 years with ClassⅡdivision 1 malocclusion.However,further research using custom-made appliances with OMT is recommended,and further investigations are needed to confirm these findings.
基金supported by Program for National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) "Reconfigurable Network Emulation Testbed for Basic Network Communication"
文摘Network Functions Virtualization(NFV) is an attempt to help operators more effectively manage their networks by implementing traditional network functions embedded in specialized hardware platforms in term of virtualized software instances. But, existing novel network appliances designed for NFV infrastructure are always architected on a general-purpose x86 server, which makes the performance of network functions limited by the hosted single server. To address this challenge, we propose ApplianceB ricks, a novel NFV-enable network appliance architecture that is used to explore the way of consolidating multiple physical network functions into a clustered network appliance, which is able to improve the processing capability of NFV-enabled network appliances.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81100776)Army Medical Research "12th Five-Year Plan" project(CWS11J118)
文摘The effects of Tip-Edge plus appliance in the treatment of Angle Ⅱ1 malocclusion and the mechanism were investigated. Fifty-two Angle Ⅱ1 children, aged from 12.3-14.2 years, with mandibu- lar retrusion in permanent dentition were selected and treated with Tip-Edge plus appliance. Lateral cephalometric films taken before and after treatment were analyzed. The arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated for each variable. Paired t-test was performed to evaluate the significant treatment change. Results showed that the average treatment time was 16 months. Normal overjet and overbite were established with retroclination of upper incisors and proclination of lower incisors. U1-NA was decreased by 15.4° （P〈0.01）. ANB and Y axial angle were decreased significantly （P〈0.05） Soft tissue measurements showed that FCA and UL-E were decreased dramatically （P〈0.05）, and LL-E was increased significantly （P〈0.05）. Remarkable soft tissue change was noted after the treatment and convex facial profile changed to the straight profile. In conclusion, Tip-Edge plus technique can quickly and efficiently correct anterior bite and lateral outlook.
基金Sponsored by the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period(Grant No.2006BAJ03B02)
文摘This manuscript developed an adjustability test system of gas appliances,and proposed determination methods of adjustability domain and technical approach of performance testing of gas appliance,in order to develop experimental determination,quantify the product performance,design quality and combustion characteristics of gas appliances,and provide test foundation and platform for product design,performance test,quality assessment and technology upgrading for gas appliance industry aiming to multi-gas resources in China.The flexible range of gas appliances to different gases and the interchangeability domain of city gases were determined experimentally,together with the equation of combustion characteristics limit curves of gas appliances.The results showed that the second gas appliance has the biggest capability for the change of gas quality,which permits an 11.2% fluctuation in the Wobbe Index of gas;while the third gas appliance has the least capability for the change of gas quality,which only permits a 1.9% fluctuation in the Wobbe Index of gas.The paper also provides the common adjustability domain of the three gas appliances.
文摘Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify independent prognostic predictors of the efficacy of oral appliance (OA) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Materials and methods: The subjects consisted of 89 patients (77 males and 12 females) in whom OSAS had been treated with an OA. The mean age of the subjects was 52.4 years (range: 20 to 78 years) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.9 kg/m2 (range: 17.3 to 32.2 kg/m2). Lateral cephalograms were taken and 15 angle, 15 distance and 5 area measurements were calculated by means of a computerized program. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was performed before treatment and several months after titration of OA therapy. OA therapy was considered effective if the apnea-hypopnea index several months after titration was under 15 events/h and was reduced to at least 50% of that before treatment. The examined data such as patient age, sex, BMI, data from cephalometric analyses, Epworth sleepiness scale, and data for pretreatment PSG were analyzed statistically, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to clarify predictive variables for treatment outcome. Results: LFH (OR = 0.350;p = 0.035) and McN-A (OR = 0.276;p = 0.057) were selected as independent predictors from the explanatory variables. The predictive accuracy of the calculated logistic regression model was 74.2%. Conclusion: This results show that OA therapy for OSAS is more effective in patients with large anteroposterior diameter of the maxilla and large lower facial height.
文摘Introduction: Borderline Class II malocclusion due to deficient mandible can be treated either by orthodontic camouflage, fixed functional appliances or by orthodontics followed by surgical mandibular advancement. Methodology: A prospective study was designed on young adults with Class II malocclusion on account of a deficient mandible. A total of 45 subjects were divided into three groups of 15 individuals each. The patients were treated either by camouflage, fixed functional appliances or by orthognathic surgery. Pre and post treatment cephalograms were used to assess the skeletal, dental and soft tissue changes. Pre and post treatment profile photographs were assessed on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) by orthodontists, oral surgeons and laypersons. Results: Each group achieved a reduction in facial convexity, but the results obtained from the surgical group were more pronounced than the camouflage and the fixed functional group. Conclusion: The reduction in convexity in the camouflage group was by retracting the upper anteriors, which increases the nasolabial angle. In the fixed functional appliance a combination of skeletal and dentoalveolar changes can be observed. However the most appropriate reduction in profile convexity can be obtained by combined orthodontic and surgical treatment of malocclusion.
文摘New Zealand (NZ) young rabbits with the administration of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) with and without mandibular anterior repositioning appliances are explored for the growth of the mandibular condylar cartilage (MCC). 32 growing NZ and rabbits were divided into 4 groups: the group with saline injection in TMJ, the group which received growth factor injection in TMJ, the group which received anterior positioning appliance and the group which received growth factors injection as well as mandibular repositioning appliance. Gene expression was studied by real-time RT-PCR and cartilage growth by histomorphometry. Administration of growth factors along with mandibular repositioning appliances has induced 1) 1.70-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value < 0.0005) and 2) 1.47-fold expression of Col-10Agene (p value < 0.0005). In contrast, administration of only mandibular repositioning appliances induced 1) 1.28-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value < 0.0005) and 2) merely 0.62-fold expression of Col-10Agene (p value < 0.0005), while administration of growth factors only induced 1) mere 0.56-fold expression of Col-2Agene (p value 10A gene (p value growth factors along with mandibular repositioning appliances causes an increase in genetic expressions which have been corroborated by histomorphometry and validated by statistical analysis, during an accelerated growth of mandibular condylar cartilage. Administration of growth factors in the TMJ could provide a synergistic role along with mandibular repositioning appliances for treatment of mandibular retrognathism as well as disorders on the MCC.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(71871203,52005447,L1924063)Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(LY18G010017,LQ21E050014).
文摘In a typical discrete manufacturing process,a new type of reconfigurable production line is introduced,which aims to help small-and mid-size enterprises to improve machine utilization and reduce production cost.In order to effectively handle the production scheduling problem for the manufacturing system,an improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm based on Brownian motion(MOPSO-BM)is proposed.Since the existing MOPSO algorithms are easily stuck in the local optimum,the global search ability of the proposed method is enhanced based on the random motion mechanism of the BM.To further strengthen the global search capacity,a strategy of fitting the inertia weight with the piecewise Gaussian cumulative distribution function(GCDF)is included,which helps to maintain an excellent convergence rate of the algorithm.Based on the commonly used indicators generational distance(GD)and hypervolume(HV),we compare the MOPSO-BM with several other latest algorithms on the benchmark functions,and it shows a better overall performance.Furthermore,for a real reconfigurable production line of smart home appliances,three algorithms,namely non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II(NSGA-II),decomposition-based MOPSO(dMOPSO)and MOPSO-BM,are applied to tackle the scheduling problem.It is demonstrated that MOPSO-BM outperforms the others in terms of convergence rate and quality of solutions.
