A Study on Multivariable Interactions Concerning Radar Cross Section Reduction through Geometric Attributes

This resolution 5 (25−1 factorial) study aimed to ascertain an understanding of the interactions between different geometries on the resulting Radar Cross Section (RCS) of a target. The results of the study are in line with the general understanding of the impact different geometries have on RCS but show that geometries can also influence the variance of measured RCS, and typical attributes that reduce RCS increase the variance of the measured RCS. Notably, an increased angle between the front face of a plate and the direction of the radar signal decreased RCS but increased the variance of the RCS measured.

Improving Interventions on Cardiovascular Disease and Diet: A Policy Incentive Analysis

Various Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) can be catastrophic and can lead to irreversible outcomes. Despite improved interventions for CVD prevention awareness, there continues to be discussion and research on diet-related CVD and mortality without addressing the problem. Instead of prioritizing public guidelines and policies, policymakers should understand CVD and address population barriers to adhering to a healthy diet that decreases CVD risk. Therefore, this project aims to analyze federal healthy food incentive policies to promote healthy diet behaviors that reduce CVD risk. The method used was existing data for a comparative policy analysis that included a policy proposal process: phases of progression, measures, and a policy model with data collection and requirements. This analysis compared a current federal food incentive program versus the proposed program. Results of the final analysis derived from the literature review and collected data stated consuming foods from the Mediterranean and other low-fat and low-salt diets reduced CVD risks that also reduced other risks secondary to CVD, such as obesity, diabetes, and Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA). Comparatively, combined healthy food incentives and disincentives were more effective for improving healthy behaviors than, in some cases, even after incentives were removed. Therefore, this policy analysis supports the indication for incentive policy change. However, the lack of federal stakeholders’ response to key policy changes upon proposal submission may require other methods of proposal dissemination. Nonetheless, focusing analysis on various Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) programs instead of one, multi-state program, which may have improved analysis outcomes, was the lesson learned.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and major depressive disorder:a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Due to safety concerns and side effects of many antidepressant medications, herbal psychopharmacology research has increased, and herbal remedies are becoming increasingly popular as alternatives to prescribed medications for the treatment of major depressive disorder （MDD）. Of these, accumulating trials reveal positive effects of the spice saffron （Crocus sativus L.） for the treatment of depression. A comprehensive and statistical review of the clinical trials examining the effects of saffron for treatment of MDD is warranted. OBJECTIVE： The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials examining the effects of saffron supplementation on symptoms of depression among participants with MDD. SEARCH STRATEGY： We conducted electronic and non-electronic searches to identify all relevant randomized, double-blind controlled trials. Reference lists of all retrieved articles were searched for relevant studies. INCLUSION CRITERIA： The criteria for study selection included the following： （1） adults （aged 18 and older） with symptoms of depression, （2） randomized controlled trial, （3） effects of saffron supplementation on depressive symptoms examined, and （4） study had either a placebo control or antidepressant comparison group. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS： Using random effects modeling procedures, we calculated weighted mean effect sizes separately for the saffron supplementation vs placebo control groups, and for the saffron supplementation vs antidepressant groups. The methodological quality of all studies was assessed using the Jadad score. The computer software Comprehensive Meta- analysis 2 was used to analyze the data. RESULTS： Based on our pre-specified criteria, five randomized controlled trials （n = 2 placebo controlled trials, n = 3 antidepressant controlled trials） were included in our review. A large effect size was found for saffron supplementation vs placebo control in treating depressive symptoms （M ES = 1.62, P 〈 0.001）, revealing that saffron supplementation significantly reduced depression symptoms compared to the placebo control. A null effect size was evidenced between saffron supplementation and the antidepressant groups （M ES = -0.15） indicating that both treatments were similarly effective in reducing depression symptoms. The mean Jadad score was 5 indicating high quality of trials. CONCLUSION： Findings from clinical trials conducted to date indicate that saffron supplementation can improve symptoms of depression in adults with MDD. Larger clinical trials, conducted by research teams outside of Iran, with long-term follow-ups are needed before firm conclusions can be made regarding saffron＇s efficacy and safety for treating depressive symptoms.

Kudzu Forage Quality Evaluation as an Animal Feed Source

The nutritional value of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was evaluated as a potential animal feed. Randomly selected samples from natural habitats with Jacksonville area (Alabama, USA) were utilized in the study. Kudzu leaves showed significantly higher dry matter and crude protein content than the stems;whereas, ADF fiber was significantly lower in the leaves. However, NDF and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were similar in the leaves and the stems. The leaf part of kudzu was especially rich in CP (24.46%) and met the requirements and recommendations for most ruminants. The TDN value for kudzu stem is 55.99%, which falls below but within the recommended range. Macronutrients concentration between the stem and leaf of kudzu, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium showed a significantly higher in the leaf than the stem. However, phosphorous was similar in concentration in the stem and the leaf, and potassium was higher in the stem. In regard to the micronutrients, the only significant difference between the leaf and the stem was iron. However, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper were all above the recommended concentrations by the National Research Council. In general, kudzu can be considered a good source for animal feed, especially the leaf, which shows a higher value in most of the determined criteria in comparison to what was recommended by the National Research Council. This should provide a new outlook to kudzu, which has been considered a noxious weed and help in the utilization of kudzu in a positive way in the southern region of the US.

Effect of a novel dietary supplement on pH levels of healthy volunteers:a pilot study

OBJECTIVE： To examine the effects of a greens alkalizing dietary supplement on urinary pH levels in individuals with lower-than-average pH levels. METHODS： The present study investigated the effects of an alkalizing formula （Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM） on four individuals who had average urinary pH levels below 6.0 for three consecutive days. Following the three-day, baseline period, participants received Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM for four consecutive days and were instructed to continue to measure their urine pH levels. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine pH levels before and after a four-day treatment period with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM. RESULTS： Compared to baseline, mean urine pH levels in all volunteers were significantly higher following the supplementation with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM （5.89 ±0.20 vs 5.56 ± 0.23; P〈0.01）. Participants＇ pH levels were also significantly higher than baseline on days 5, 6, and 7 of the treatment period （P 〈 0.05）. Noteworthy, on day 7, participants＇ mean pH levels were significantly higher than at the beginning of the treatment period （6.03 ± 0.15 at day 7 vs 5.65 ± 0.24 at day 4; P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： The findings of this study suggest that supplementation with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM has an alkalizing effect on the body and can increase the urine pH levels in individuals with lower-than-average pH levels.

A Comparison between 2D and 3D Images to Study Maxillary and Mandibular Widths: A Pilot Study

The objective of this study is to compare the transverse dimensions of the jaws, obtained from traditional posteroanterior (PA) cephalometric radiographs, and with the similar respective measurements obtained by means of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Data of twelve subjects were selected from the clinical records of Orthodontic Department. All of the subjects had their permanent teeth in occlusion and had good quality regular (2D), and CBCT (3D) images as part of their initial records. Subjects were divided to a posterior cross-bite and non-cross bite groups. The ratio of the maxillary, to mandibular transverse widths was calculated for the sample. In subjects without dental cross-bites the average ratio of the maxillary, to mandibular jaw widths was 0.75 on the standard radiographs and 1.04 on the CBCT scans. In subjects with dental cross-bites the average ratio of these widths was 0.70 on the standard radiographs and 0.9 on the CBCT scans. The ratios of the maxillary, to mandibular widths differ when obtained from conventional cephalometric radiographs as compared to the respective ratios obtained from CBCT scans. Maxillary, to mandibular width ratio is in the order of 1:1 as determined by means of CBCT scans.

Soluble Carbohydrates Repress the Cellulolytic Activity of Clostridium cellulovorans and Eubacterium cellulosolvens

Studies have provided indirect evidence that cellulolytic activity of some anaerobic bacteria is repressed by carbohydrates, such as glucose. This effect is known as carbon catabolite repression （CCR）. Previous work has found that cellulolytic activity of Clostridium cellulovorans and Eubacterium cellulosolvens are regulated. Many cellulolytic systems of these organisms are expressed only in the presence of cellulose or cellobiose （the disaccharide of cellulose）. Some of these cellulose-induced systems also appear subject to CCR when more soluble substrates, such as glucose, are also available. To determine if such repression directly effects cellulolytic activity of C. cellulovorans and E. cellulosolvens, these organisms were cultivated in media containing a glucose analog. We then measured the ability of low levels of analog to inhibit growth of the organisms when cellobiose or cellulose were the energy substrates. Our results found that growth of both C. cellulovorans and E. cellulosolvens in cellobiose-containing medium are strongly inhibited by glucose analogs. In addition, both organisms exhibited delayed and slower growth in cellulose-containing medium when a glucose analog was added. These results provide direct demonstration that these cellulolytic bacteria are subject to CCR. This repression of cellulolysis may affect both of these organisms＇ ability to serve as industrial platforms for biomass degradation, and may interfere with the contribution of E. cellulosolvens toward animal digestion of cellulose. These results were also in sharp contrast to what has been reported regarding CCR activity in Clostridium cellulolyticum, which actively expresses cellulases in the presence of low levels of glucose.

On a Generic Security Game Model

To protect the systems exposed to the Internet against attacks, a security system with the capability to engage with the attacker is needed. There have been attempts to model the engagement/interactions between users, both benign and malicious, and network administrators as games. Building on such works, we present a game model which is generic enough to capture various modes of such interactions. The model facilitates stochastic games with imperfect information. The information is imperfect due to erroneous sensors leading to incorrect perception of the current state by the players. To model this error in perception distributed over other multiple states, we use Euclidean distances between the outputs of the sensors. We build a 5-state game to represent the interaction of the administrator with the user. The states correspond to 1) the user being out of the system in the Internet, and after logging in to the system;2) having low privileges;3) having high privileges;4) when he successfully attacks and 5) gets trapped in a honeypot by the administrator. Each state has its own action set. We present the game with a distinct perceived action set corresponding to each distinct information set of these states. The model facilitates stochastic games with imperfect information. The imperfect information is due to erroneous sensors leading to incorrect perception of the current state by the players. To model this error in perception distributed over the states, we use Euclidean distances between outputs of the sensors. A numerical simulation of an example game is presented to show the evaluation of rewards to the players and the preferred strategies. We also present the conditions for formulating the strategies when dealing with more than one attacker and making collaborations.

Influence of Symbiotic Interaction between Fungus, Virus, and Tomato Plant in Combating Drought Stress

The influence of the three-way interaction between the fungus (Curvularia protuberata), virus (CThTV), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in combating drought stress was evaluated in this study. The plants in this greenhouse experiment were grown under conditions of 400 ± 150 μmol·m-2·s-1 photon flux density, 45% to 50% relative humidity (RH), and 30°C ± 2°C. Tomato seeds were germinated and inoculated with the combination of the fungus and virus at the seedling stage. The plants were allowed to grow for two weeks and randomly selected individuals were utilized. The selected plants were grown in one gallon pots containing organic potting soil. The treatments included non-symbiotic (NS), virus-free (VF), and symbiotic (An) plants. Each treatment received twelve samples and each sample was allowed to grow for an additional two weeks under drought stress. At that time, plants were exhibiting drought stress symptoms including visible wilting. Six samples from each treatment were utilized in determining selected physiological responses of tomato at pre-anthesis stage. The remaining six samples from each treatment were re-watered once and allowed to grow until they reached the anthesis stage. When they showed visible signs of wilting, the same physiological responses measured during pre-anthesis were conducted. The samples of each treatment were utilized at the end of each stage in determining photosynthetic rate, stomata conductance, photosynthetic pigments, water potential, and soluble sugar content. Plant growth, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, photosynthetic rate, stomata conductance, water potential, and soluble sugar content were similarly affected by the various treatments. However, carotenoids were significantly higher at pre-anthesis in the symbiotic plants in comparison to other treatments. Additionally, photosynthesis appeared to be significantly higher at anthesis compared to pre-anthesis for all treatments.

清洁生产审核对电厂节能减排效率的影响分析

电力企业的节能减排对提高全社会的能源使用效率和保护环境具有重要的意义。清洁生产审核是对企业工业生产实行污染防治的分析和评估,是推动污染防治从末端治理向全过程控制转变,落实绿色发展方式的重要途径。通过以清洁生产审核为中心,在综合考虑环境效益、财务效益和社会效益的基础上,构建了火电企业清洁生产审核绩效评价指标体系,并以案例分析清洁生产审核对电厂节能减排效率的影响,为推进电力企业清洁生产审核、促进节能减排效率提供参考。

Predicting Hurricane Evacuation Decisions with Interpretable Machine Learning Methods

Facing the escalating effects of climate change,it is critical to improve the prediction and understanding of the hurricane evacuation decisions made by households in order to enhance emergency management.Current studies in this area often have relied on psychology-driven linear models,which frequently exhibited limitations in practice.The present study proposed a novel interpretable machine learning approach to predict household-level evacuation decisions by leveraging easily accessible demographic and resource-related predictors,compared to existing models that mainly rely on psychological factors.An enhanced logistic regression model(that is,an interpretable machine learning approach) was developed for accurate predictions by automatically accounting for nonlinearities and interactions(that is,univariate and bivariate threshold effects).Specifically,nonlinearity and interaction detection were enabled by low-depth decision trees,which offer transparent model structure and robustness.A survey dataset collected in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,two of the most intense tropical storms of the last two decades,was employed to test the new methodology.The findings show that,when predicting the households’ evacuation decisions,the enhanced logistic regression model outperformed previous linear models in terms of both model fit and predictive capability.This outcome suggests that our proposed methodology could provide a new tool and framework for emergency management authorities to improve the prediction of evacuation traffic demands in a timely and accurate manner.

Clinical spectrum and currently available treatment of typeⅠinterferonopathy Aicardi-Goutières syndrome

Background Aicardi-Goutières syndrome(AGS)is a genetically determined disorder with a variable phenotype.Since the original description of AGS,advances in gene sequencing techniques have resulted in a significant broadening of the phenotypic spectrum associated with AGS genes,and new clinical pictures have emerged beyond the classic presentation.The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the clinical spectrum of AGS and report currently available treatments and new immunosuppressive strategies.Data sources Literature reviews and original research articles were collected from databases,including PubMed and Clini-calTrials.gov.Relevant articles about AGS were included.Results The involvement of the nervous system certainly represents the major cause of mortality and morbidity in AGS patients.However,other clinical manifestations,such as chilblains,hepatosplenomegaly,and hematological disturbances,may lead to the diagnosis and considerably impact the prognosis and overall quality of life of these patients.Therapeutic approaches of AGS are limited to interventions aimed at specific symptoms and the management of multiple comorbidities.However,advances in understanding the pathogenesis of AGS could open new and more effective therapies.Conclusions The over-activation of innate immunity due to upregulated interferon production plays a critical role in AGS,leading to multi-organ damage with the main involvement of the central nervous system.To date,there is no specific and effective treatment for AGS.New drugs specifically targeting the interferon pathway may bring new hope to AGS patients.

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of saffron(Crocus sativus L.) on psychological and behavioral outcomes

BACKGROUND：Throughout the past three decades,increased scientifi c attention has been given to examining saffron’s（Crocus sativus L.）use as a potential therapeutic or preventive agent for a number of health conditions,including cancer,cardiovascular disease,and depression.OBJECTIVE：The purpose of this systematic review is to examine and categorize the current state of scientifi c evidence from randomized controlled trials（RCTs）regarding the effi cacy of saffron on psychological/behavioral outcomes.SEARCH STRATEGY：Electronic and non-electronic systematic searches were conducted to identify all relevant human clinical research on saffron.The search strategy was extensive and was designed according to the＂Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses（PRISMA）.＂Reference lists of articles that met the inclusion criteria were searched.Only English language studies were reviewed.INCLUSION CRITERIA：Saffron trials in combination with other substances and saffron safety studies were considered,in accordance with the PRISMA statement.Included studies must have a control group.Included studies must measure a physiological and/or a behavioral outcome.DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS：The methodological quality of all included studies was independently evaluated by two reviewers using the Jadad score.Mean scores and P-values of measures were compared both inter-and intra-study for each parameter（i.e.,depression）.RESULTS：Twelve studies met our inclusion criteria.These studies examined the effects of saffron on psychological/behavioral outcomes of：major depressive disorder（n=6）,premenstrual syndrome（n=1）,sexual dysfunction and infertility（n=4）,and weight loss/snacking behaviors（n=1）.The data from these studies support the effi cacy of saffron as compared to placebo in improving the following conditions：depressive symptoms（compared to anti-depressants and placebo）,premenstrual symptoms,and sexual dysfunction.In addition,saffron use was also effective in reducing excessive snacking behavior.CONCLUSION：Findings from initial clinical trials suggest that saffron may improve the symptoms and the effects of depression,premenstrual syndrome,sexual dysfunction and infertility,and excessive snacking behaviors.Larger multi-site clinical trials are needed to extend these preliminary fi ndings.

An evolutionary algorithm approach for the constrained multi-depot vehicle routing problem

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore a real world vehicle routing problem(VRP)that has multi-depot subcontractors with a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles that are available to pickup/deliver jobs with varying time windows and locations.Both the overall job completion time and number of drivers utilized are analyzed for the automated job allocations and manual job assignments from transportation field experts.Design/methodology/approach-A nested genetic algorithm(GA)is used to automate the job allocation process and minimize the overall time to deliver all jobs,while utilizing the fewest number of drivers-as a secondary objective.Findings-Three different real world data sets were used to compare the results of the GA vs transportation field experts’manual assignments.The job assignments from the GA improved the overall job completion time in 100 percent(30/30)of the cases and maintained the same or fewer drivers as BS Logistics(BSL)in 47 percent(14/30)of the cases.Originality/value-This paperprovidesa novel approach to solving a real world VRPthathasmultiple variants.While there have been numerous models to capture a select number of these variants,the value of this nested GA lies in its ability to incorporate multiple depots,a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles as well as varying pickup times,pickup locations,delivery times and delivery locations for each job into a single model.Existing research does not provide models to collectively address all of these variants.

A redescription of the ichnospecies Koreanaornis anhuiensis(Aves) from the Lower Cretaceous Qiuzhuang Formation at Mingguang city, Anhui Province, China

The Cretaceous bird trackway originally labeled Aquatilavipes anhuiensis, in 1994, had previously been examined, photographed and replicated, but never described or illustrated in detail. However, it has been part of a widening discussion about the distribution of Aquatilavipes and Koreanaornis in China(and Korea). Here we illustrate and formally describe the holotype in detail and assign it to Koreanaornis(Koreanaornis anhuiensis) as informally proposed by previous authors. We also demonstrate that most authenticated reports of Koreanaornis, including the Anhui occurrence, are from the Lower Cretaceous, not from the Upper Cretaceous as previously reported.