Development of a Profit-Based Air Cargo Loading Information System

In today's competitive logistics business environment, airfreight forwarders need to optimize every aspect of their logistics operations. However, forwarders still heavily rely on human brain and working experiences for calculating complex cargo packing and scheduling problems. Although recent research studies related to cargo packing and scheduling problems have resulted in the development of a number of advanced techniques of cargo planning, it can be seen that most of the research work is focused on the optimization of space in order to achieve the maximum possible amount of cargo to be packed in the minimum of space. After numerous site evaluation and end-user feedbacks, it is found that space optimization does not necessarily cause profit optimization, which is the ultimate aim of logistics providers. A study of contemporary research publications indicates that there are inadequate research studies related to profit-based optimization in cargo packing areas. This paper presents a profit-based air cargo loading information system (ACLIS) that embeds an innovative technology known as heuristics iterative reasoning technology (HIRT) that supports loading plan generation, focusing on maximization of the profit margin. In general, the proposed system is meant to maximize the profit in the airfreight forwarding business. It adopts an objective function governed by a list of constraints together with rule-based reasoning to provide expert advice to support the generation of appropriate loading plans     

Plasticity of feature-based selection in triple-conjunction search.

Two experiments examined the disruption of feature-based selection in triple-conjunction search at multiple target transfers. In Experiment 1, after 10 training sessions, a new target possessing previous distractor features was introduced. This produced disruption in RT and fixation number, but no disruption in feature-based selection. Specifically, there was a tendency to fixate objects sharing the target's contrast polarity and shape and this did not change even upon transfer to the new target. In Experiment 2, 30 training sessions were provided with three target transfers. At the first transfer, the results replicated Experiment 1. Subsequent transfers did not produce disruption on any measure. These findings are discussed in terms of strength theory, Guided Search, rule-based approaches to perceptual learning, and the area activation model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-Border Migration of Hong Kong Residents Under the 'One Country, Two Systems' Policy

Hong Kong is known as a migrant city because its population was sourced from mainland China, and because there has always been outflows of people to overseas countries, especially from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Emigration to mainland China has become a significant recent trend. This article discusses this phenomenon in the theoretical contexts of migration and trans-border residential development. It contends that the trend will intensify more quickly than other cross-border movements because the two systems are separated by a political border within one country, and because there are common cultural ties and rapid economic integration.     

Botulinum toxin for neurological disorders in a movement disorders clinic in Singapore

AIM OF STUDY: This study was done to examine the usefulness of botulinum toxin A injections in treating various neurological disorders such as hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, focal dystonia and task-specific dystonia. METHODS: This was a prospective, open-labelled trial of patients seen in a Movement Disorders Clinic with dyskinesias potentially treatable with botulinum toxin. All patients were assessed before and after injections using clinical rating scales, and those with focal and task-specific dystonias were also recorded on videotape. RESULTS: There were 102 patients with hemifacial spasm, 3 with blepharospasm, 13 with neck dystonia, 6 with writer's cramp, I with musician's cramp, and I with jaw dystonia. All patients with hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm obtained good results, while 77% of those with cervical dystonia received substantial benefit. Only half of those with writer's cramp improved. Hemifacial spasm seems more prevalent in Singapore compared with Western populations. CONCLUSION: Injections of botulinum toxin are useful in treating the various neurological disorders studied. This is an advancement in the treatment of these dyskinesias which respond poorly to oral medications.     

Evaluation of recursive queries with extended rules in deductivedatabases

In order to extend the expressive power of deductive databases, a formula that can have existential quantifiers in prenex normal form in a restricted way is defined as an extended rule. With the extended rule, we can easily define a virtual view that requires a division operation of relational algebra to evaluate. The paper addresses a recursive query evaluation where at least one formula in a recursive rule set is of an extended rule. We investigate transformable recursions as well as four cases of non-transformable recursions of transitive-closure-like and linear type. The work reveals that occurrence of an existentially quantified variable in the extended recursive body predicate might dramatically limit the level of recursive search. In particular, the number of iterations to answer extended queries can be determined, independently of database contents     

Correlative MR-anatomic study of the median nerve

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of MR imaging for showing the intrinsic anatomy of a peripheral nerve. Cadaver wrist specimens that included the median nerve were imaged with MR imaging at 3 T, then sectioned, stained, and inspected grossly and microscopically. The size, shape, and signal intensity of the sheath and axonal structures in the median nerve were identified in MR images by comparison with anatomic sections. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that MR imaging with sufficiently high-resolution techniques shows the internal structure of peripheral nerves. These results suggest that MR imaging may be a means to distinguish neuritis, tumor, degeneration, or fatty proliferation in a peripheral nerve and to evaluate the nerve before microsurgical anastomosis.     

Effects of volatile anesthetic isoflurane on ATP-sensitive K+ channels in rabbit ventricular myocytes

It has been suggested that volatile anesthetic, isoflurane mediates cardioprotective effects via activation of the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels. However, no direct evidence has been provided to define whether isoflurane activates cardiac KATP channels using patch-clamp technique. We examined the effects of isoflurane on the KATP channels in rabbit ventricular myocytes by use of patch-clamp technique. Contrary to the results of the in vivo experiments, isoflurane inhibited the channel activity without a change in the single-channel conductance. Isoflurane decreased the channel activity by a decrease in burst duration and an increase in the inter-burst duration. On the other hand, isoflurane diminished the ATP sensitivity of KATP channels, indicating an increased probability of KATP channel opening for a given concentration of ATP after isoflurane anesthesia. The result supports, at least in part, the hypothesis that isoflurane mediates cardioprotective effects via KATP channel activation.     

Influence of the major histocompatibility complex on age at onset of chronic lymphoid leukaemia

Goodpasture syndrome is an often fatal autoimmune disease associated with glomerulonephritis and/or pulmonary hemorrhage. The clinical manifestations of this disease correlate well with the presence of circulating antiglomerular basement membrane (GBM) autoantibodies. The primary target antigen in glomerular and alveolar basement membranes is thought to be the alpha 3 chain of type IV collagen. Nearly all that is known about anti-GBM antibodies in humans comes from work on unbound circulating antibody. We recently had the unique and rare opportunity to obtain early postmortem antibody and tissues from a patient who died with catastrophic Goodpasture syndrome. The specificity of circulating, kidney-bound and lung-bound autoantibodies from this patient was evaluated against a variety of purified basement membrane constituents. The results indicate that the primary target for the circulating and tissue-bound autoantibodies is the NC1 domain of the alpha 3(IV) chain of type IV collagen. Additionally, all the antibodies recognize a cryptic epitope/s on the alpha 3(IV)NC1 hexamer. Furthermore, tissue-bound and circulating antibodies compete with one another for overlapping epitopes on the antigen. These findings demonstrate that circulating autoantibodies in Goodpasture syndrome are highly representative of those bound to organ tissues, strengthening the notion that pathogenic autoantibodies are targeted to the alpha 3(IV)NC1 collagen, and that previous reports of findings in the circulation may be applicable to tissue injury.