Previous studies suggest that influenza virus infection may provide temporary non-specific immunity and hence lower the risk of non-influenza respiratory virus infection. In a randomized controlled trial of influenza vaccination, 1 330 children were followed-up in 2009–2011. Respiratory swabs were collected when they reported acute respiratory illness and tested against influenza and other respiratory viruses. We used Poisson regression to compare the incidence of non-influenza respiratory virus infection before and after influenza virus infection. Based on 52 children with influenza B virus infection, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of non-influenza respiratory virus infection after influenza virus infection was 0.47 (95% confidence interval: 0.27–0.82) compared with before infection. Simulation suggested that this IRR was 0.87 if the temporary protection did not exist. We identified a decreased risk of non-influenza respiratory virus infection after influenza B virus infection in children. Further investigation is needed to determine if this decreased risk could be attributed to temporary non-specific immunity acquired from influenza virus infection.

Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

TAOS II is a next-generation occultation survey with the goal of measuring the size distribution of the small end of the Kuiper Belt (objects with diameters 0.5–30 km). Such objects have magnitudes r > 30, and are thus undetectable by direct imaging. The project will operate three telescopes at San Pedro Mártir Observatory in Baja California, México. Each telescope will be equipped with a custom-built camera comprised of a focal-plane array of CMOS imagers. The cameras will be capable of reading out image data from 10,000 stars at a cadence of 20 Hz. The telescopes will monitor the same set of stars simultaneously to search for coincident occultation detections, thus minimising the false-positive rate. This talk described the project, and reported on the progress of the development of the survey infrastructure.

Increased mass losses from the Greenland ice sheet and inferred contributions to sea-level rise have heightened the need for hydrologic observations of meltwater exiting the ice sheet. We explore whether temporal variations in ice-sheet surface hydrology can be linked to the development of a downstream sediment plume in Kangerlussuaq Fjord by comparing: (1) plume area and suspended sediment concentration from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery and field data; (2) ice-sheet melt extent from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave data; and (3) supraglacial lake drainage events from MODIS. Results confirm that the origin of the sediment plume is meltwater release from the ice sheet. Interannual variations in plume area reflect interannual variations in surface melting. Plumes appear almost immediately with seasonal surface-melt onset, provided the estuary is free of landfast sea ice. A seasonal hysteresis between melt extent and plume area suggests late-season exhaustion in sediment supply. Analysis of plume sensitivity to supraglacial events is less conclusive, with 69% of melt pulses and 38% of lake drainage events triggering an increase in plume area. We conclude that remote sensing of sediment plume behavior offers a novel tool for detecting the presence, timing and interannual variability of meltwater release from the ice sheet.

We present a high precision frequency determination method for digitized NMR FID signals. The method employs high precision numerical integration rather than simple summation as in many other techniques. With no independent knowledge of the other parameters of a NMR FID signal (phase ф, amplitude A, and transverse relaxation time T2) this method can determine the signal frequency f0 with a precision of if the observation time T ≫ T2. The method is especially convenient when the detailed shape of the observed FT NMR spectrum is not well defined. When T2 is +∞ and the signal becomes pure sinusoidal, the precision of the method is which is one order more precise than the ±1 count error induced precision of a typical frequency counter. Analysis of this method shows that the integration reduces the noise by bandwidth narrowing as in a lock-in amplifier, and no extra signal filters are needed. For a pure sinusoidal signal we find from numerical simulations that the noise-induced error in this method reaches the Cramer-Rao Lower Band (CRLB) on frequency determination. For the damped sinusoidal case of most interest, the noise-induced error is found to be within a factor of 2 of CRLB when the measurement time T is 2 or 3 times larger than T2. We discuss possible improvements for the precision of this method.

Previous studies have suggested that Lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum) has antioxidant effects and possibly beneficial effects on blood pressure, plasma lipids and glucose, but these have not been confirmed in subjects with mild hypertension or hyperlipidaemia. The objective of the present study was to assess the cardiovascular, metabolic, antioxidant and immunomodulatory responses to therapy with Lingzhi in patients with borderline elevations of blood pressure and/or cholesterol in a controlled cross-over trial. A total of twenty-six patients received 1·44 g Lingzhi daily or matching placebo for 12 weeks in a randomised, double-blind, cross-over study with placebo-controlled run-in and cross-over periods. Body weight, blood pressure, metabolic parameters, urine catecholamines and cortisol, antioxidant status and lymphocyte subsets were measured after each period. Lingzhi was well tolerated and data from twenty-three evaluable subjects showed no changes in BMI or blood pressure when treated with Lingzhi or placebo. Plasma insulin and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance were lower after treatment with Lingzhi than after placebo. TAG decreased and HDL-cholesterol increased with Lingzhi but not with placebo in the first treatment period, but significant carry-over effects prevented complete analysis of these parameters. Urine catecholamines and cortisol, plasma antioxidant status and blood lymphocyte subsets showed no significant differences across treatments. Results indicate that Lingzhi might have mild antidiabetic effects and potentially improve the dyslipidaemia of diabetes, as shown previously in some animal studies. Further studies are desirable in patients with hyperglycaemia.

Background: The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (CERAD-NAB) offers information on the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and gives a profile of cognitive functioning. This study explores the effects of age, education and gender on participants' performance on eight subtests in the Chinese-Cantonese version of the CERAD-NAB.

Methods: The original English version of the CERAD-NAB was translated and content-validated into a Chinese-Cantonese version to suit the Hong Kong Chinese population. The battery was administered to 187 healthy volunteers aged 60 to 94 years. Participants were excluded if they had neurological, medical or psychiatric disorders (including dementia). Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relative contribution of the demographic variables to the scores on each subtest.

Results: The Cantonese version of CERAD-NAB was shown to have good content validity and excellent inter-rater reliability. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that performances on seven and four out of eight subtests in the CERAD-NAB were significantly influenced by education level and age, respectively. Age and education had significant effects on participants' performance on many tests. Gender also showed a significant effect on one subtest.

Conclusions: The preliminary data will serve as an initial phase for clinical interpretation of the CERAD-NAB for Cantonese-speaking Chinese elders.

The approach of combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for continuum fluid and the discrete element method (DEM) for discrete particles has been increasingly used to study the fundamentals of coupled particle–fluid flows. Different CFD–DEM models have been used. However, the origin and the applicability of these models are not clearly understood. In this paper, the origin of different model formulations is discussed first. It shows that, in connection with the continuum approach, three sets of formulations exist in the CFD–DEM approach: an original format set I, and subsequent derivations of set II and set III, respectively, corresponding to the so-called model A and model B in the literature. A comparison and the applicability of the three models are assessed theoretically and then verified from the study of three representative particle–fluid flow systems: fluidization, pneumatic conveying and hydrocyclones. It is demonstrated that sets I and II are essentially the same, with small differences resulting from different mathematical or numerical treatments of a few terms in the original equation. Set III is however a simplified version of set I. The testing cases show that all the three models are applicable to gas fluidization and, to a large extent, pneumatic conveying. However, the application of set III is conditional, as demonstrated in the case of hydrocyclones. Strictly speaking, set III is only valid when fluid flow is steady and uniform. Set II and, in particular, set I, which is somehow forgotten in the literature, are recommended for the future CFD–DEM modelling of complex particle–fluid flow.

This paper considers the improvement of approximate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of integral equations using the method of deferred correction. A convergence theorem is proved and a numerical example illustrating the theory is given.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) compared with alternative treatments for uterine fibroids in the United States.

Methods: We used techniques of decision analysis and data from secondary sources to develop and estimate an economic model of the management of uterine fibroids among premenopausal women. Patients in the model receive treatment with MRgFUS, uterine artery embolization (UAE), abdominal myomectomy, hysterectomy, or pharmacotherapy. The model predicts total costs (including subsequent procedures) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for each treatment strategy over a lifetime horizon, discounted at 3 percent, from a societal perspective. Data on treatment efficacy and safety were obtained from published and unpublished studies. Costs (2005 US$) were obtained from an analysis of a large administrative database and other secondary sources. Lost productivity costs were included in the base-case analysis, but excluded in a sensitivity analysis.

Results: UAE was associated with the most QALYs (17.39), followed by MRgFUS (17.36), myomectomy (17.31), hysterectomy (17.18), and pharmacotherapy (16.70). Pharmacotherapy was the least costly strategy ($9,200 per patient), followed by hysterectomy ($19,800), MRgFUS ($27,300), UAE ($28,900), and myomectomy ($35,100). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (cost per QALY gained) were $21,800 for hysterectomy, $41,400 for MRgFUS, and $54,200 for UAE; myomectomy was more costly and less effective than both MRgFUS and UAE. Results were sensitive to MRgFUS recurrence rates, MRgFUS procedure costs, and assumptions about quality of life following hysterectomy.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that MRgFUS is in the range of currently accepted criteria for cost-effectiveness, along with hysterectomy and UAE.

Chloride ion concentration can be used as a biomarker for the level of pollen exposure in allergic asthma, chronic cough and airway acidification related to respiratory disease. AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with an InN thin film in the gate region was used for real time detection of chloride ion detection. The InN thin film provided surface sites for reversible anion coordination. The sensor exhibited significant changes in channel conductance upon exposure to various concentrations of NaCl solutions. The sensor was tested over the range of 100 nM to 100 μM NaCl solutions. The effect of cations on the chloride ion detection was also studied.

We investigate the perturbation of the palindromic eigenvalue problem for the matrix quadratic with A0,A1∈𝒞n×n and (where or H). The perturbation of eigenvalues in the context of general matrix polynomials, palindromic pencils, (semi-Schur) anti-triangular canonical forms and differentiation is discussed.

Silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate is a key materials for nano-scaling IC device and the requirement for its crystal structure and quality is really high. Nanothick silicon thin film can be transferred onto a handle wafer from a donation wafer to form a SOI wafer after this process including hydrogen implantation of donation wafer, wafer bonding, and thermal treatment at moderately high temperatures of 400 to 600 degree centigrade. The expansion of the hydrogen molecular evolving from the implanted hydrogen ions interacting with silicon dangling bonds and trapped inside the microcavities located near the ion projected range resulted in exfoliation of the silicon thin film in the final heating step. The hydrogen molecules inside the microcavities tend to expand along the bonded interface rather than radially to form individual blisters. Finally, the fracture failure of ion implanted area parallel to the bonded interface near the projected ion range is formed by the sideway expansion of the cavities due to the diffusion supply of implanted hydrogen excited by thermal energy. Microwave processing can lower the activity energy to speed the chemical reaction so that it leads the format of microcavities occurring at low temperature by directly exciting the implanted hydrogen ions by microwave energy and also results in decreasing the critical dosage for layer splitting. However, microwave irradiation alone at room temperature causes the formation of lots of nucleus sites of micro-voids filled by hydrogen molecule which is immobility in silicon resulting in the issue of uniformity of transferred layer. In this study, the hydrogen implanted silicon substrate was irradiated by microwave at low temperature (200 degree centigrade) rather than microwave alone to co-activate the implanted hydrogen ions in silicon to increase not only kinetic energy but also mobility to successfully achieve a completely transferred layer in a short time.

ZnO films with orientations of (001), (110), and (100) were fabricated on silicon by different substrate biases at low temperature. Dynamic cathodoluminescence (CL) dependence on electron bombardment revealed unstable Zn-N bonding if N2 was used as a predecessor. CL under various accelerated voltages showed the possible energies of Zn-N. N-related photoluminescence (PL) at low temperature confirmed that nitrogen was released after annealing. These N-doping behaviors agreed to the theoretical calculation.

The effects of the glass-forming coatings on the fatigue behavior of 316L stainless steel were investigated. Films consisting of 47%Zr, 31%Cu, 13%Al and 9%Ni (atomic percent) were deposited onto the stainless steel by magnetron sputtering. The influences of the substrate condition, the surface roughness, the adhesion, and the compressive residual stresses on the fatigue behavior were studied. The applications of the glass-forming coating gave rise to significant improvements in both the fatigue life and the fatigue limit, in comparison with the uncoated steel. Depending on the maximum stress applied to the steel, the fatigue life can be increased by at least 30 times, and the fatigue limit can be elevated by 30%.