University of Bucharest

The performance of the MUSIC and ML methods is studied, and their statistical efficiency is analyzed. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) for the estimation problems is derived, and some useful properties of the CRB covariance matrix are established. The relationship between the MUSIC and ML estimators is investigated as well. A numerical study is reported of the statistical efficiency of the MUSIC estimator for the problem of finding the directions of two plane waves using a uniform linear array. An exact description of the results is included.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

A review in the use of ionic liquids' solvents in catalyzed reactions as well as its use in biocatalytic and electrocatalyzed reactions has been presented. These reactions include hydrogenation, catalytic oxidation, acid-base-catalyzed reactions, carbonylation and hydroformylation, dimerization, polymerization, Heck reaction, Suzuki cross-coupling and other related reaction. The study clearly shows a large potential using the combination of ILs and solid catalysts in both liquid-phase and gas-phase reactions. The latter shows the versatility of ILs in stabilizing homogeneous catalysts and enables good mass transport of gas reagents using thin films of the ionic liquid.

This European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia was developed by a task force of the European Sleep Research Society, with the aim of providing clinical recommendations for the management of adult patients with insomnia. The guideline is based on a systematic review of relevant meta-analyses published till June 2016. The target audience for this guideline includes all clinicians involved in the management of insomnia, and the target patient population includes adults with chronic insomnia disorder. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system was used to grade the evidence and guide recommendations. The diagnostic procedure for insomnia, and its co-morbidities, should include a clinical interview consisting of a sleep history (sleep habits, sleep environment, work schedules, circadian factors), the use of sleep questionnaires and sleep diaries, questions about somatic and mental health, a physical examination and additional measures if indicated (i.e. blood tests, electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram; strong recommendation, moderate- to high-quality evidence). Polysomnography can be used to evaluate other sleep disorders if suspected (i.e. periodic limb movement disorder, sleep-related breathing disorders), in treatment-resistant insomnia, for professional at-risk populations and when substantial sleep state misperception is suspected (strong recommendation, high-quality evidence). Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults of any age (strong recommendation, high-quality evidence). A pharmacological intervention can be offered if cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is not sufficiently effective or not available. Benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists and some antidepressants are effective in the short-term treatment of insomnia (≤4 weeks; weak recommendation, moderate-quality evidence). Antihistamines, antipsychotics, melatonin and phytotherapeutics are not recommended for insomnia treatment (strong to weak recommendations, low- to very-low-quality evidence). Light therapy and exercise need to be further evaluated to judge their usefulness in the treatment of insomnia (weak recommendation, low-quality evidence). Complementary and alternative treatments (e.g. homeopathy, acupuncture) are not recommended for insomnia treatment (weak recommendation, very-low-quality evidence).

IMPORTANCE: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) provided systematic estimates of incidence, morbidity, and mortality to inform local and international efforts toward reducing cancer burden. OBJECTIVE: To estimate cancer burden and trends globally for 204 countries and territories and by Sociodemographic Index (SDI) quintiles from 2010 to 2019. EVIDENCE REVIEW: The GBD 2019 estimation methods were used to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 and over the past decade. Estimates are also provided by quintiles of the SDI, a composite measure of educational attainment, income per capita, and total fertility rate for those younger than 25 years. Estimates include 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). FINDINGS: In 2019, there were an estimated 23.6 million (95% UI, 22.2-24.9 million) new cancer cases (17.2 million when excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 10.0 million (95% UI, 9.36-10.6 million) cancer deaths globally, with an estimated 250 million (235-264 million) DALYs due to cancer. Since 2010, these represented a 26.3% (95% UI, 20.3%-32.3%) increase in new cases, a 20.9% (95% UI, 14.2%-27.6%) increase in deaths, and a 16.0% (95% UI, 9.3%-22.8%) increase in DALYs. Among 22 groups of diseases and injuries in the GBD 2019 study, cancer was second only to cardiovascular diseases for the number of deaths, years of life lost, and DALYs globally in 2019. Cancer burden differed across SDI quintiles. The proportion of years lived with disability that contributed to DALYs increased with SDI, ranging from 1.4% (1.1%-1.8%) in the low SDI quintile to 5.7% (4.2%-7.1%) in the high SDI quintile. While the high SDI quintile had the highest number of new cases in 2019, the middle SDI quintile had the highest number of cancer deaths and DALYs. From 2010 to 2019, the largest percentage increase in the numbers of cases and deaths occurred in the low and low-middle SDI quintiles. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this systematic analysis suggest that the global burden of cancer is substantial and growing, with burden differing by SDI. These results provide comprehensive and comparable estimates that can potentially inform efforts toward equitable cancer control around the world.

Denoising diffusion models represent a recent emerging topic in computer vision, demonstrating remarkable results in the area of generative modeling. A diffusion model is a deep generative model that is based on two stages, a forward diffusion stage and a reverse diffusion stage. In the forward diffusion stage, the input data is gradually perturbed over several steps by adding Gaussian noise. In the reverse stage, a model is tasked at recovering the original input data by learning to gradually reverse the diffusion process, step by step. Diffusion models are widely appreciated for the quality and diversity of the generated samples, despite their known computational burdens, i.e., low speeds due to the high number of steps involved during sampling. In this survey, we provide a comprehensive review of articles on denoising diffusion models applied in vision, comprising both theoretical and practical contributions in the field. First, we identify and present three generic diffusion modeling frameworks, which are based on denoising diffusion probabilistic models, noise conditioned score networks, and stochastic differential equations. We further discuss the relations between diffusion models and other deep generative models, including variational auto-encoders, generative adversarial networks, energy-based models, autoregressive models and normalizing flows. Then, we introduce a multi-perspective categorization of diffusion models applied in computer vision. Finally, we illustrate the current limitations of diffusion models and envision some interesting directions for future research.

To address challenges associated with climate resilience, health and well-being in urban areas, current policy platforms are shifting their focus from ecosystem-based to nature-based solutions (NBS), broadly defined as solutions to societal challenges that are inspired and supported by nature. NBS result in the provision of co-benefits, such as the improvement of place attractiveness, of health and quality of life, and creation of green jobs. Few frameworks exist for acknowledging and assessing the value of such co-benefits of NBS and to guide cross-sectoral project and policy design and implementation. In this paper, we firstly developed a holistic framework for assessing co-benefits (and costs) of NBS across elements of socio-cultural and socio-economic systems, biodiversity, ecosystems and climate. The framework was guided by a review of over 1700 documents from science and practice within and across 10 societal challenges relevant to cities globally. We found that NBS can have environmental, social and economic co-benefits and/or costs both within and across these 10 societal challenges. On that base, we develop and propose a seven-stage process for situating co-benefit assessment within policy and project implementation. The seven stages include: 1) identify problem or opportunity; 2) select and assess NBS and related actions; 3) design NBS implementation processes; 4) implement NBS; 5) frequently engage stakeholders and communicate co-benefits; 6) transfer and upscale NBS; and 7) monitor and evaluate co-benefits across all stages. We conclude that the developed framework together with the seven-stage co-benefit assessment process represent a valuable tool for guiding thinking and identifying the multiple values of NBS implementation.

A numerical and analytical study of conditional and unconditional direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation is presented. Explicit expressions for the unconditional Cramer-Rao bounds on the DOA estimation accuracy and the covariance matrix of the conditional maximum likelihood method are given. It is shown that many DOA estimation methods have the same asymptotic statistical properties under conditional and unconditional models. The situation of two narrowband plane signals impinging on a uniformly spaced linear array is discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Oxidative stress has been linked with a variety of diseases, being involved in the debut and/or progress of several neurodegenerative disorders. This review intends to summarize some of the findings that correlate the overproduction of reactive oxygen species with the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Oxidative stress was also noted to modify the inflammatory response. Even though oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are two totally different pathological events, they are linked and affect one another. Nonetheless, there are still several mechanisms that need to be understood regarding the onset and the progress of neurodegenerative diseases in order to develop efficient therapies. As antioxidants are a means to alter oxidative stress and slow down the symptoms of these neurodegenerative diseases, the most common antioxidants, enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic, have been mentioned in this paper as therapeutic options for the discussed disorders.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful nondestructive technique for characterizing crystalline materials. It provides information on structures, phases, preferred crystal orientations (texture), and other structural parameters, such as average grain size, crystallinity, strain, and crystal defects. X-ray diffraction peaks are produced by constructive interference of a monochromatic beam of X-rays scattered at specific angles from each set of lattice planes in a sample. The peak intensities are determined by the distribution of atoms within the lattice. Consequently, the X-ray diffraction pattern is the fingerprint of periodic atomic arrangements in a given material. This review summarizes the scientific trends associated with the rapid development of the technique of X-ray diffraction over the past five years pertaining to the fields of pharmaceuticals, forensic science, geological applications, microelectronics, and glass manufacturing, as well as in corrosion analysis.

Five methods of direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation which can be derived from the maximum-likelihood (ML) principle are considered. The ML method (MLM) results from the application of the ML principle to the statistics of the observed raw data. The standard multiple signal classification (MUSIC) procedure, called MUSIC-1, is obtained as a brute-force approximation of the MLM. An improved MUSIC procedure, named MUSIC-2, is obtained by applying the ML principle to the statistics of certain linear combinations of the sample noise space eigenvectors. A procedure which compromises between the good performance of the MLM and the computational simplicity of MUSIC is a method of direction estimation (MODE-1) which is derived as a large sample realization of the MLM. A fifth method, called MODE-2, is obtained by using the ML principle on the statistics of certain linear combinations of the sample eigenvectors. MODE-2 is computationally less demanding than the MLM (it is of the same complexity as MODE-1) and statistically more efficient. A numerical comparison of these five DOA estimation methods is presented. It confirms the analytic results on their theoretical performance levels.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVReviewNEXTCatalytic NOx Abatement Systems for Mobile Sources: From Three-Way to Lean Burn after-Treatment TechnologiesPascal Granger*† and Vasile I. Parvulescu*‡View Author Information† Unité de Catalyse et de Chimie du Solide, UMR CNRS 8181, University of Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France‡ Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, University of Bucharest, Romania, 4 − 12 Regina Elisabeta Boulevard, Bucharest 030016, Romania*P.G.: tel. +32 3 20 43 49 38, fax +32 3 20 43 65 61, e-mail [email protected]. V.I.P.: tel. +4021 4103178, fax +4021 3159249, e-mail [email protected]Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2011, 111, 5, 3155–3207Publication Date (Web):March 18, 2011Publication History Received1 June 2010Published online18 March 2011Published inissue 11 May 2011https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cr100168ghttps://doi.org/10.1021/cr100168greview-articleACS PublicationsCopyright © 2011 American Chemical SocietyRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views9350Altmetric-Citations639LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose SUBJECTS:Byproducts,Catalysts,Catalytic reactions,Oxides,Redox reactions Get e-Alerts

The treatment of skin wounds is a key research domain owing to the important functional and aesthetic role of this tissue. When the skin is impaired, bacteria can soon infiltrate into underlying tissues which can lead to life-threatening infections. Consequently, effective treatments are necessary to deal with such pathological conditions. Recently, wound dressings loaded with antimicrobial agents have emerged as viable options to reduce wound bacterial colonization and infection, in order to improve the healing process. In this paper, we present an overview of the most prominent antibiotic-embedded wound dressings, as well as the limitations of their use. A promising, but still an underrated group of potential antibacterial agents that can be integrated into wound dressings are natural products, especially essential oils. Some of the most commonly used essential oils against multidrug-resistant microorganisms, such as tea tree, St. John's Wort, lavender and oregano, together with their incorporation into wound dressings are presented. In addition, another natural product that exhibits encouraging antibacterial activity is honey. We highlight recent results of several studies carried out by researchers from different regions of the world on wound dressings impregnated with honey, with a special emphasis on Manuka honey. Finally, we highlight recent advances in using nanoparticles as platforms to increase the effect of pharmaceutical formulations aimed at wound healing. Silver, gold, and zinc nanoparticles alone or functionalized with diverse antimicrobial compounds have been integrated into wound dressings and demonstrated therapeutic effects on wounds.

Efficient transformation of biomass to value-added chemicals and high-energy density fuels is pivotal for a more sustainable economy and carbon-neutral society. In this framework, developing potential cascade chemical processes using functionalised heterogeneous catalysts is essential because of their versatile roles towards viable biomass valorisation. Advances in materials science and catalysis have provided several innovative strategies for the design of new appealing catalytic materials with well-defined structures and special characteristics. Promising catalytic materials that have paved the way for exciting scientific breakthroughs in biomass upgrading are carbon materials, metal-organic frameworks, solid phase ionic liquids, and magnetic iron oxides. These fascinating catalysts offer unique possibilities to accommodate adequate amounts of acid-base and redox functional species, hence enabling various biomass conversion reactions in a one-pot way. This review therefore aims to provide a comprehensive account of the most significant advances in the development of functionalised heterogeneous catalysts for efficient biomass upgrading. In addition, this review highlights important progress ensued in tailoring the immobilisation of desirable functional groups on particular sites of the above-listed materials, while critically discussing the role of consequent properties on cascade reactions as well as on other vital processes within the bio-refinery. Current challenges and future opportunities towards a rational design of novel functionalised heterogeneous catalysts for sustainable biomass valorisation are also emphasized.

Abstract When a hard spherical indenter is pressed into the surface of a softer metal, plastic flow of the metal specimen occurs and an indentation is formed. When the indenter is removed it is found that the permanent indentation is spherical in shape, but that its radius of curvature is greater than that of the indenter. It is generally held that this ‘shallowing’ effect is due to the release of elastic stresses in the material around the indentation. It is clear that if the recovery is truly elastic it should be reversible and that a second application and removal of the indenter under the original load should not change the size or shape of the indentation. Experiments show that this is the case. This means that when the original load is reapplied, the deformation of the indenter and the recovered indentation is elastic and should conform with Hertz’s equations for the elastic deformation of spherical surfaces. Measurements show that there is, in fact, close agreement between the observed deformation and that calculated from Hertz’s equations. These results have been applied to the case of indentations formed in a metal surface by an impacting indenter. The energy involved in the elastic recovery of the impacting surfaces is found to account for the energy of rebound of the indenter. This analysis explains a number of empirical relations observed in dynamic hardness measurements, and, in particular, reproduces the calibration characteristics of the rebound scleroscope. The results also show that for very soft metals the dynamic hardness is very much higher than the static hardness, and it is suggested that in rapid deformation of soft metals, forces of a quasi-viscous nature are involved. In the third part of the paper a simple theory of hardness is given, based on the theoretical work of Hencky and Ishlinsky. It is shown experimentally that for a material incapable of appreciable work-hardening, the mean pressure Pm required to produce plastic yielding is related to the elastic limit Y of the material by a relation Pm = cY, where c is a constant having a value between 2·6 and 3. An empirical method is described which takes into account the work-hardening produced in metals by the indentation process itself. This results in a general relation between hardness measurements and the stress-strain characteristic of the metal, and there is close agreement between the theory and the observed results. In addition, the theory explains the empirical laws of Meyer.

A systematic literature review was undertaken to analyse the linkages between different biodiversity attributes and 11 ecosystem services. The majority of relationships between attributes and ecosystem services cited in the 530 studies were positive. For example, the services of water quality regulation, water flow regulation, mass flow regulation and landscape aesthetics were improved by increases in community and habitat area. Functional traits, such as richness and diversity, also displayed a predominantly positive relationship across the services, most commonly discussed for atmospheric regulation, pest regulation and pollination. A number of studies also discussed a positive correlation with stand age, particularly for atmospheric regulation. Species level traits were found to benefit a number of ecosystem services, with species abundance being particularly important for pest regulation, pollination and recreation, and species richness for timber production and freshwater fishing. Instances of biodiversity negatively affecting the examined ecosystem services were few in number for all ecosystem services, except freshwater provision. The review showed that ecosystem services are generated from numerous interactions occurring in complex systems. However, improving understanding of at least some of the key relationships between biodiversity and service provision will help guide effective management and protection strategies.

Excessive nutrient loading is a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide that leads to profound changes in aquatic biodiversity and biogeochemical processes. Systematic quantitative assessment of functional ecosystem measures for river networks is, however, lacking, especially at continental scales. Here, we narrow this gap by means of a pan-European field experiment on a fundamental ecosystem process--leaf-litter breakdown--in 100 streams across a greater than 1000-fold nutrient gradient. Dramatically slowed breakdown at both extremes of the gradient indicated strong nutrient limitation in unaffected systems, potential for strong stimulation in moderately altered systems, and inhibition in highly polluted streams. This large-scale response pattern emphasizes the need to complement established structural approaches (such as water chemistry, hydrogeomorphology, and biological diversity metrics) with functional measures (such as litter-breakdown rate, whole-system metabolism, and nutrient spiraling) for assessing ecosystem health.

Heterogeneous catalysis is a promising technology for the valorization of renewable biomass to sustainable advanced fuels and fine chemicals. Porosity and nanostructure are the most versatile features of heterogeneous solid catalysts, which can greatly determine the accessibility of specific active sites, reaction mechanisms, and the selectivity of desirable products. Hence, the precise tuning of porosity and nanostructure has been a potential strategy towards developing novel solid catalysts with indispensable characteristics for efficient biomass valorization. Herein, we present a timely and comprehensive review of the recent advances in catalytic biomass conversions over microporous zeolites, mesoporous silicas, and nanostructured metals/metal oxides. This review covers the catalytic processing of both edible (lipids and starch) and non-edible (lignocellulose) biomass as well as their derived compounds, along with a systematic evaluation of catalyst reusability/kinetic/mechanistic aspects in the relevant processes. The key parameters essential for tailoring particle size, morphology, porosity, acid-base, and redox properties of solid catalysts are emphasized, while discussing the ensuing catalytic effects towards the selective conversion of biomass into desirable chemicals. Special attention has been drawn to understand the role of water in liquid phase biomass conversions as well as the hydrothermal stability and the deactivation of nanoporous catalysts. We believe this comprehensive review will provide new insights towards developing state-of-the-art solid catalysts with well-defined porosity and nanoscale properties for viable biomass conversion.

Microfluidics is a relatively newly emerged field based on the combined principles of physics, chemistry, biology, fluid dynamics, microelectronics, and material science. Various materials can be processed into miniaturized chips containing channels and chambers in the microscale range. A diverse repertoire of methods can be chosen to manufacture such platforms of desired size, shape, and geometry. Whether they are used alone or in combination with other devices, microfluidic chips can be employed in nanoparticle preparation, drug encapsulation, delivery, and targeting, cell analysis, diagnosis, and cell culture. This paper presents microfluidic technology in terms of the available platform materials and fabrication techniques, also focusing on the biomedical applications of these remarkable devices.

Abstract This article reports key findings from a comparative survey of the role perceptions, epistemological orientations and ethical views of 1800 journalists from 18 countries. The results show that detachment, non-involvement, providing political information and monitoring the government are considered essential journalistic functions around the globe. Impartiality, the reliability and factualness of information, as well as adherence to universal ethical principles are also valued worldwide, though their perceived importance varies across countries. Various aspects of interventionism, objectivism and the importance of separating facts from opinion, on the other hand, seem to play out differently around the globe. Western journalists are generally less supportive of any active promotion of particular values, ideas and social change, and they adhere more to universal principles in their ethical decisions. Journalists from non-western contexts, on the other hand, tend to be more interventionist in their role perceptions and more flexible in their ethical views. Keywords: comparative researchepistemologiesethical ideologiesinstitutional rolesjournalism culturejournalistssurvey Notes 1. This study was funded by several institutions, including the German Research Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, Rothschild-Caesarea School of Communication at Tel Aviv University, and School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland. 2. In every country, there exists a tacit consensus among journalists and media scholars regarding the media that shape the national political agenda. We selected those quality outlets which are commonly believed to have the greatest impact in this regard. For popular print media we selected the outlets with the highest circulation figures, while the selection of radio and TV stations was based on the ratings of their newscasts. 3. This was especially true for local media. Here, we sampled media outlets produced in various parts of the countries: in urban centers and rural areas or, as in the case of Switzerland and Indonesia, in the regions inhabited by the major cultural populations. 4. This was the case in Austria, Egypt and Uganda. Austria had no significant local TV station, so the number of national channels was increased. In the absence of local newspapers and private radio stations in Egypt, we decided to raise the number of national newspapers and state-owned radio channels, respectively. In Uganda, we increased the number of local radio stations to compensate for the lack of local TV stations; hence, the resulting sample also reflected the prominence of radio in the country. 5. Calculated by one-way independent ANOVA. 6. The program was developed by Adi Raveh and David Talby; it is freely available from http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~davidt/vcoplot/index.html. 7. Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient Rho: Australia: 0.719***, Austria 0.641***, Brazil 0.385***, Bulgaria 0.523***, Chile 0.341***, China 0.478***, Egypt 0.181 (ns), Germany 0.589***, Indonesia 0.305**, Israel 0.377***, Mexico 0.671***, Romania 0.488***, Russia 0.423***, Spain 0.687***, Switzerland 0.589***, Turkey 0.214*, Uganda 0.271**, United States 0.617*** (*p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; ns, not significant). 8. See http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=16.

The problem of determining the direction-of-arrival of narrowband plane waves using sensor arrays and the related problem of estimating the parameters of superimposed signals from noisy measurements are studied. A number of results have been recently presented by the authors on the statistical performance of the multiple signal characterization (MUSIC) and the maximum likelihood (ML) estimators for the above problems. This work extends those results in several directions. First, it establishes that in the class of weighted MUSIC estimators, the unweighted MUSIC achieves the best performance (i.e. the minimum variance of estimation errors), in large samples. Next, it derives the covariance matrix of the ML estimator and presents detailed analytic studies of the statistical efficiency of MUSIC and ML estimators. These studies include performance comparisons of MUSIC and MLE with each other, as well as with the ultimate performance corresponding to the Cramer-Rao bound. Finally, some numerical examples are given which provide a more quantitative study of performance for the problem of finding two directions with uniform linear sensor arrays.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>