Fractality of tics as a quantitative assessment tool for Tourette syndrome

Tics manifest as brief, purposeless and unintentional movements or noises that, for many individuals, can be suppressed temporarily with effort. Previous work has hypothesized that the chaotic temporal nature of tics could possess an inherent fractality, that is, have neighbour-to-neighbour correlation at all levels of timescale. However, demonstrating this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two decades, primarily because of the challenges associated with estimating the scale-invariant, power law exponent—called the fractal dimension D_f—from fractional Brownian noise. Here, we confirm this hypothesis and establish the fractality of tics by examining two tic time series datasets collected 6–12 months apart in children with tics, using random walk models and directional statistics. We find that D_f is correlated with tic severity as measured by the YGTTS total tic score, and that D_f is a sensitive parameter in examining the effect of several tic suppression conditions on the tic time series. Our findings pave the way for using the fractal nature of tics as a robust quantitative tool for estimating tic severity and treatment effectiveness, as well as a possible marker for differentiating typical from functional tics.     

Automated fixture configuration using projective geometry approach

The geometric and topological specification of a workpiece boundary is usually represented in a specific data format in a CAD database. To retrieve a set of workpiece data, to analyse its shape in addition to the machining requirements, and to determine the proper fixture configuration accordingly, are not trivial tasks when a part has a complicated shape. The real challenge is to recognise and synthesise the shape of a workpiece from its data representation. Consequently, the decision for fixturing can be made when the shape of a workpiece and the relationship of the shape and the fixturing configuration can be derived by a systematic methodology. In this paper, a projective spatial occupancy enumeration (PSOE) approach is applied as a representational and manipulating scheme for developing algorithms in automatic fixture configuration. The workpiece is projected onto the working plane of the fixture baseplate. A 2D projection is defined as a matrix of cells which can represent a workpiece with an arbitrary shape. Using a discrete search based upon the matrix of cells, the fixture types and their locations are generated according to a set of heuristic algorithms. This work is a generalisation and extension of previous works for prismatic parts. The same methodology is equally applicable in general robot grasping.     

Comparison of Different Mass Spectrometry Workflows for the Proteomic Analysis of Tear Fluid

The tear film is a multi-layer fluid that covers the corneal and conjunctival epithelia of the eye and provides lubrication, nutrients, and protection from the outside environment. Tear fluid contains a high concentration of proteins and has thus been recognized as a potential source of biomarkers for ocular disorders due to its proximity to disease sites on the ocular surface and the non-invasive nature of its collection. This is particularly true in the case of dry eye disease, which directly impacts the tear film and its components. Proteomic analysis of tear fluid is challenging mainly due to the wide dynamic range of proteins and the small sample volumes. However, recent advancements in mass spectrometry have revolutionized the field of proteomics enabling unprecedented depth, speed, and accuracy, even with small sample volumes. In this study using the Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer, we compared four different mass spectrometry workflows for the proteomic analysis of tear fluid collected via Schirmer strips. We were able to establish a method of in-strip protein digestion that identified >3000 proteins in human tear samples from 11 healthy subjects. Our method offers a significant improvement in the number of proteins identified compared to previously reported methods without pooling samples.     

NXP单芯片方案再掀低成本手机浪潮

恩智浦半导体(NXP Semiconductors)推出面向"超低成本(ULC)"手机细分市场的Nexperia PNX4903 GSM/GPRS优化多媒体解决方案.PNX4903在一个单片集成电路上实现系统级的完全操作,提供高集成度和性能,使手机OEM/ODM能够在一个可靠、低成本、低能耗的整体方案中为入门级手机用户提供丰富的多媒体内容.     

Bibliometric and text mining approaches to evaluate landfill design standards

Scientometrics - In 2014, Canadians generated 961 kg of waste per capita. Landfilling is a logical choice for many Canadian communities because of land availability. This paper examines...     

Metrics-based profiling of university research engagement with Africa: research management,gender, and internationalization perspective

Scientometrics - U.S. university engagement with Africa in various areas including global health, education, environment, and agriculture has grown in the last 15 years. However, there is...     

Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Embedded in Biocompatible Translucent Shells

High pressure high temperature (HPHT) nanodiamonds (NDs) represent extremely promising materials for construction of fluorescent nanoprobes and nanosensors. However, some properties of bare NDs limit their direct use in these applications: they precipitate in biological solutions, only a limited set of bio‐orthogonal conjugation techniques is available and the accessible material is greatly polydisperse in shape. In this work, we encapsulate bright 30‐nm fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) in 10–20‐nm thick translucent (i.e., not altering FND fluorescence) silica shells, yielding monodisperse near‐spherical particles of mean diameter 66 nm. High yield modification of the shells with PEG chains stabilizes the particles in ionic solutions, making them applicable in biological environments. We further modify the opposite ends of PEG chains with fluorescent dyes or vectoring peptide using click chemistry. High conversion of this bio‐orthogonal coupling yielded circa 2000 dye or peptide molecules on a single FND. We demonstrate the superior properties of these particles by in vitro interaction with human prostate cancer cells: while bare nanodiamonds strongly aggregate in the buffer and adsorb onto the cell membrane, the shell encapsulated NDs do not adsorb nonspecifically and they penetrate inside the cells.     

欧胜推出AudioPlus新产品线

10月15日,欧胜微电子有限公司宣布推出其AudioPlus电源管理产品线的第一款产品WM8350.该芯片将高保真音频编码解码器(CODEC)与电源管理子系统结合,可为便携式音频和导航应用提供高性能音频、同时延长电池寿命并降低系统成本.     

母乳中的低聚半乳糖研究和应用的最新进展

本详述了低聚半乳糖的研究和应用的最新进展,并简述了低聚半乳糖的特性。     

Bench-Scale Testing of Nanofiltration for Seawater Desalination

A dual-staged nanofiltration process is being evaluated as an alternative to reverse osmosis for seawater desalination. The primary goal of this system is to reduce energy consumption while producing potable water at an acceptable recovery rate. Investigation of this system at the bench-scale level focused on membrane surface characterization, ion rejection (including boron, bromide, and iodide rejection), and flux decline. Results from this study showed that two commercially available nanofiltration membranes can effectively desalinate seawater. Although fouling was apparent—and resulted in approximately 20% flux decline over 3 days—a critical flux was not identifiable. Operation of the system at different cross-flow velocities revealed the significance of hydrodynamic conditions on the polarization modulus, and hence on membrane performance.