This paper investigates both the time-varying formation and multiple time-varying formation tracking problems of networked heterogeneous robotic systems with parameter uncertainties and external disturbances in the task space. Each robot inside can be either redundant or nonredundant. Several novel estimator-based hierarchical cooperative algorithms are designed to achieve both the tracking task and the possible preset subtasks for redundant robots. Besides, the designed estimator algorithms guarantee that each robot can obtain the accurate information of their corresponding leaders. By employing Lyapunov stability (...) and input-to-state stability, sufficient conditions on the asymptotic stability of the error closed-loop system are derived. Finally, two simulation examples are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. (shrink)

The relationships between age and the life-supporting treatments use, and between gender and the life-supporting treatments use are still controversial. Using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as an example of life-supporting treatments, the objectives of this study were: to examine the relationship between age and the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use; to examine the relationship between age and the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use; and to deliberate the ethical and societal implications of age and gender disparities in the initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This (...) is a population-based, retrospective cohort study. Taiwan’s extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cases from 2000 to 2010 were collected. The annual incidence rate of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use adjusting for both age and gender distribution for each year from 2000 to 2010 was derived using the population of 2000 as the reference population. The trend of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use was examined using time-series linear regression analysis. We conducted joinpoint regression for estimating the trend change of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use. The trends of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use both for different gender groups, and for different age groups have been significantly increasing over time. Men were more likely to be supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation than women. Women’s perspectives toward life and death, and women’s perception of well-being may be associated with the phenomenon. In addition, the patients at the age of 65 or older were more likely to be supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation than those younger than 65. Family autonomy/family-determination, and the Confucian tradition of filial piety and respecting elders may account for this phenomenon. This study showed gender and age disparities in the initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use in Taiwan, which may be accounted for by the cultural and societal values in Taiwan. For a healthcare professional who deals with patients’/family members’ medical decision-making to initiate life-supporting treatments, he/she should be sensitive not only to the legality, but also the societal and ethical issues involved. (shrink)

ABSTRACTThe acceleration of the evolution of economic culture through scientific development affords the opportunity to re-examine cross-domain dialogue and research in Buddhism and other disciplines. The concepts of threefold training in Buddhism were used as data items to generate data values and thereby convey the semantic nature of these terms. A systems analysis approach that can adequately incorporate hermeneutics into management science was employed to present the research topic. This study illustrates the relationship between a management activity and a Buddhist (...) activity. This relationship was used to establish a body- and mind-transcending system comprising two subsystems: a service subsystem that adopts the perspective of management science by emphasising the ‘way of things’ and a submission subsystem that adopts a Buddhist perspective by stressing the ‘way of people’. The main finding of this study is that the two subsystems are characterised by identical Buddhist concepts. (shrink)

We present a quantitative prediction of total organic carbon content for shale-gas development in the Chang Ning gas field of the Sichuan Basin. We have used the rock-physics analysis method to define the geophysical characteristics of the reservoir and the most sensitive elastic parameter to TOC content. We established a quantitative prediction template of the TOC content by rock-physics modeling. Well data and 3D seismic data were combined for prestack simultaneous inversion to obtain the most sensitive elastic parameter data volume. (...) According to the prediction template, we transformed the sensitive elastic parameter data volume to the TOC content volume. The rock-physics analysis indicates that the reservoir with a high TOC content in the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation of the Chang Ning gas field is characterized by low density, low P-wave velocity, low S-wave velocity, low Poisson’s ratio, and low ratio of P-wave velocity to S-wave velocity. Density is the most sensitive elastic parameter to TOC content. The rock-physics model suggests that density is negatively correlated with TOC content, and the relationship between them changes under different porosities. The reservoir with high TOC content is mainly distributed at the bottom of the Longmaxi Fm and in the central and east central area of the study field. The quantitative prediction results are in good agreement with the log interpretation and production test. Therefore, it has important implications for the efficient development of the shale-gas reservoir in the basin. (shrink)

Background: Monitoring the daily change in resting heart rate variability can provide information regarding training adaptation and recovery status of the autonomic nervous system during training camps. However, it remains unclear whether postural stabilization is essential for valid and reliable ultra-short-term recordings in short-term overseas training camps.Design: Observational and longitudinal study.Purpose: This study aimed to investigate ultra-short-term heart rate variability recordings under stabilization or post-stabilization periods in four overseas training camps.Participant: Twenty-seven U-20 male national team futsal players voluntarily participated in (...) this study.Method: Resting HRV was evaluated for 10 min during the early morning of each training camp. The natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive normal-to-normal interval differences was used for comparisons. Time segments of HRV were divided into two periods with three measures within each: the first 30-s, the first 60-s, and the 5-min standard during stabilization; the first 30-s, the first 60-s, and the 5-min standard after stabilization.Result: The results demonstrated trivial to small ES, very large to nearly perfect ICC, and narrow range of SEM when all time segments of HRVUST were compared to the 1st_5 min and 2nd_5 min HRV. Furthermore, the magnitude of the correlation coefficients ranged from very high to nearly perfect for all the time segments. The HRVUST posted excellent agreement in all time segments with/without postural stabilization. Trivial to small levels of effect size in all time segments of LnRMSSDmean and LnRMSSDcv across overseas training camps was identified.Conclusion: The first 30 or 60-s LnRMSSD recordings can be used to evaluate daily cardiac-autonomic function during overseas training camps in futsal players. The process for stabilization seems to be unnecessary for measuring the morning resting LnRMSSD in overseas training camps among young adult futsal players. (shrink)

Given the importance of users in medical innovation, positive user participation can boost the cooperative innovation process within the medical supply chain. A stochastic differential model based on user feedback is proposed to study the relationship between user feedback and the medical supply chain. The stability and sensitivity of the medical supply chain is analysed through different parameters. The results show that the effect of patient feedback and suggestions from hospitals on the innovation level of medical services and medical products (...) is positive, such that the impact of the innovation level of medical services on users and the effect of patient feedback are positively related to marginal profits and that cooperative innovation is beneficial for medical product and service innovation and the improvement of demand and profits. (shrink)

ABSTRACTA peer-coaching approach was adopted in the out-of-class stage of the flipped classroom. Out of the classroom, learning tutors help students engage in learning and improve performance. Eigh...

Histological assessment of glands is one of the major concerns in colon cancer grading. Considering that poorly differentiated colorectal glands cannot be accurately segmented, we propose an approach for segmentation of glands in colon cancer images, based on the characteristics of lumens and rough gland boundaries. First, we use a U-net for stain separation to obtain H-stain, E-stain, and background stain intensity maps. Subsequently, epithelial nucleus is identified on the histopathology images, and the lumen segmentation is performed on the background (...) intensity map. Then, we use the axis of least inertia-based similar triangles as the spatial characteristics of lumens and epithelial nucleus, and a triangle membership is used to select glandular contour candidates from epithelial nucleus. By connecting lumens and epithelial nucleus, more accurate gland segmentation is performed based on the rough gland boundary. The proposed stain separation approach is unsupervised, and the stain separation makes the category information contained in the H&E image easy to identify and deal with the uneven stain intensity and the inconspicuous stain difference. In this project, we use deep learning to achieve stain separation by predicting the stain coefficient. Under the deep learning framework, we design a stain coefficient interval model to improve the stain generalization performance. Another innovation is that we propose the combination of the internal lumen contour of adenoma and the outer contour of epithelial cells to obtain a precise gland contour. We compare the performance of the proposed algorithm against that of several state-of-the-art technologies on publicly available datasets. The results show that the segmentation approach combining the characteristics of lumens and rough gland boundary has better segmentation accuracy. (shrink)

This article draws out the subtle connections among the various sorts of categories— sheng 生 (reproduction), qin 亲 (familiarity), ai 爱 (love), and ren 仁 (humaneness) —focusing on the following: Confucius found the original significance of reproduction to be sympathy between males and females, and upon further study he found it extended to the.affinity of blood relations, namely familiarity. From familiarity he came to understand love that one generates and has for people and things beyond one’s blood relations, in (...) other words, the empathic heart or the feeling of empathy itself. From here he anticipated rende 仁德 (the humane and virtuous) level of fan’ai zhong 泛爱众 (universal love for all people) or fan’ai wanwu 泛爱万物 (universal love for all creatures). The article further makes the point that in order to meet the conditions for the perfection of humaneness which has neither any excesses nor any deficiencies, Confucius ultimately developed a means, that is, the golden mean, which indicates that his ancient understanding of life and growth produced in Confucius a profound shift in the focus of human concern from ming 命 (fate) to Dao 道 (the Way). (shrink)

During the period of the Wushu "Hundred-Days" Reform, modern Chinese philosophy stepped into the stage of development characterized by the growth and spread of the theory of evolution and of humanism. Kang Youwei, Yan Fu, Tan Sitong, and Liang Qichao were the representative figures of this stage. At the time, with a tremendous flair for vivid and persuasive writing, the young Liang Qichao broke through the bonds of feudal autocracy with the ideas of humanism, used "liberty" to oppose "slavishness," and, (...) by approaching the exploration of the meaning of "the freedom of self from the angle of new epistemology and new ethics, Liang played a major role and exerted a widespread influence on his countrymen in their intellectual emancipation. As he himself once said: "It can be said of Liang Qichao that he was the Chen She in the new intellectual circles." [Chen She, alias Chen Sheng, the famous rebel who started the peasant uprising against the Qin dynasty.—Trans.] Indeed, we may say that such a moniker would be quite appropriate for the Liang Qichao before 1903 ; it would be a title that the young Liang richly deserved. As we review the liberal ideas and teachings of the young Liang Qichao even today, as we reacquaint ourselves with his writings of this early period, such as Lun ziyou shu and Xin min shuo , we would still find among the words of these works a rich and overflowing sense of vitality and freshness, a feeling that there is much here for our enlightenment. (shrink)