The underwater localization of a broadband target in the presence of strong interference and noise has been widely investigated. A novel clutter suppression approach based on oblique projections is proposed, exploiting the prior information of the expected target response. The method uses a generalised likelihood ratio formulation to select the oblique projection best matching the measured data. T

Background: Living arrangements have been known to be associated with physical frailty. However, the prevalence of frailty and its risk factors in remote islands is not understood. We examined the association between living arrangements and objectively measured frailty among older adults living in a remote island of Japan. Methods: Among older people living in Okinoshima, 656 older adults (75.6 ±

This paper considers a single-stage make-to-stock production–inventory system under random demand and random yield, where defective units are reworked. We examine how to set cost-minimizing production/order quantities in such imperfect systems, which is challenging because a random yield implies an uncertain arrival time of outstanding units and the possibility of them crossing each other in the p

Biodiversity-benefits of organic farming have mostly been documented at the field scale. However, these benefits from organic farming to species diversity may not propagate to larger scales because variation in the management of different crop types and seminatural habitats in conventional farms might allow species to cope with intensive crop management. We studied flowering plant communities usin

Purpose: Respiration-related CSF flow through the cerebral aqueduct may be useful for elucidating physiology and pathophysiology of the glymphatic system, which has been proposed as a mechanism of brain waste clearance. Therefore, we aimed to (1) develop a real-time (CSF) flow imaging method with high spatial and sufficient temporal resolution to capture respiratory effects, (2) validate the metho

Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology is one of the earliest detectable brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. The overall load and spatial distribution of brain Aβ can be determined in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET), for which three fluorine-18 labelled radiotracers have been approved for clinical use. In clinical practice, trained readers will categorise scans as either Aβ pos

Purpose: Cold air exposure is associated with increased respiratory morbidity and mortality. Repeated inhalation of cold and dry air is considered the cause of the high prevalence of asthma among winter endurance athletes. This study assessed whether a heat- and moisture-exchanging breathing device (HME) attenuates airway responses to high-intensity exercise in sub-zero temperatures among healthy

Purpose: Delayed perineal wound healing is a common complication after abdominoperineal resection (APR) in rectal cancer. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the number of patients with delayed wound healing after APR. Secondary aims were to identify risk factors, and describe treatment. Methods: Prospectively collected data from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR) was used fo

In socially monogamous species, extra-pair paternity (EPP) is predicted to increase variance in male reproductive success (RS) beyond that resulting from genetic monogamy, thus, increasing the “opportunity for selection” (maximum strength of selection that can act on traits). This prediction is challenging to investigate in wild populations because lifetime reproduction data are often incomplete.

Single crystals of Mg9Ge5.1(2) were obtained at a pressure of 5 GPa in the temperature range 723 to 1273 K. The metastable high-pressure phase exhibits a crystal structure, which may be described as a host-guest variety of an UCl3-type framework. The atomic arrangement is characterized by a host crystal structure Mg9Ge3 with disordered germanium guests (≈2 Ge per formula unit) in the channels. The

The recent pandemic and other environmental concerns have resulted in restrictions on research and surveys involving capture and handling bats. While acoustic surveys have been widely used as an alternative survey method, in this study, we show how photographic surveys can offer an important contribution to study and survey bats. We outline approaches, using high speed flash and automated trip bea

BackgroundThe risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is modulated by genetic and environmental factors. Early-life stress (ELS) exposure during critical periods of brain development can impact later brain function and health, including increasing the risk of developing AD. Microglial dysfunction and neuroinflammation have been implicated as playing a role in AD pathology and may be modulated

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Polyps are early symptoms of colorectal cancer and prone to malignant transformation. Polyp segmentation of colonoscopy images can help diagnosis. However, existing studies on polyp segmentation of colonoscopy images face two main difficulties: blurry polyp boundaries, close resemblances between polyps and surrounding tissues. The